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Nationals agree to terms with three-time All-Star Dan Haren

Nationals agree to terms with three-time All-Star Dan Haren

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The Washington Nationals today agreed to terms on a one-year contract with right-handed pitcher Dan Haren. Nationals Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Mike Rizzo made the announcement.

A 10-year veteran, Haren is 119-97 with a 3.66 ERA in 296 games/286 starts with the Angels, Diamondbacks, A’s and Cardinals. In 2012, he went 12-13 with a 4.33 ERA in 30 starts in his final season with Los Angeles (AL).

Regarded as one of MLB’s most consistent performers, Haren has won at least 12 games and made 30 or more starts each of the last eight seasons.

Dating eight seasons to 2005, Haren has tallied seven separate 200-inning campaigns and averaged 220 innings per year. In that same eight-season span, Nationals pitchers have posted just four 200-inning efforts.

Haren, who has ranked among his league’s leaders (top 10) in strikeouts per 9.0 innings on six occasions and walks per 9.0 innings five times, owns career per 9.0 inning rates of 7.6 strikeouts and 1.9 walks that render a stellar 4.0/1 strikeout-to-walk ratio that leads all active pitchers.

Among all active pitchers to have thrown at least 1500 innings, Haren ranks second in walks per 9.0 innings (1.89), second in opponents’ on-base percentage (.294), fourth in baserunners per 9.0 innings (10.87), sixth in WHIP (1.18), 10th in fielding-independent pitching (3.34) and 10th in strikeouts per 9.0 innings (7.60).

An All-Star each season from 2007-09, Haren has posted at least 15 wins on three occasions and his finest effort, arguably, came in his first complete NL season with Arizona in 2008. That year he won 16 games, posted a 3.33 ERA, struck out 206 and allowed just 0.8 home runs per 9.0 innings despite making over half his starts at offensively-charged Chase Field in Phoenix.

The 32 year-old Haren sports two postseasons of experience, as well as a 3.26 ERA amassed in seven games/two starts, gained with Oakland (2006) and St. Louis (2004).

Haren joins a Nationals rotation that paced the NL and ranked second in MLB with a 3.40 ERA last season.

A Pepperdine University alum, Haren was St. Louis’ second-round selection in the ‘01 First-Year Player Draft.